Roster Moves

RHP Josh Stinson recalled by New York (NL) from Binghamton (AA).



RHP Jack Egbert transferred from Binghamton (AA) to Buffalo (AAA).


RHP Edgar Ramirez reinstated from Binghamton (AA) disabled list.


LHP Roy Merritt reinstated from Binghamton (AA) disabled list.
 
Guillaume Leduc was placed on the Savannah DL as of 8/31 with a left ankle sprain.
 
*Jet Butler was transferred from the Savannah roster to the Kingsport roster.



*J.B. Brown was transferred from the Savannah roster to the Kingsport roster.


*Cam Maron was transferred from the Kingsport roster to the Savannah roster.


*Juan Gamboa was transferred from the Kingsport roster to the Savannah roster.


*Dustin Lawley was transferred from the Kingsport roster to the Savannah roster.

Press Release: - LHP Daniel Herrera, RHP Adrian Rosario

THE METS ACQUIRE LHP DANIEL HERRERA AND RHP ADRIAN ROSARIO

TO COMPLETE THE FRANCISCO RODRIGUEZ TRADE



FLUSHING, N.Y., September 1, 2011 – The New York Mets today announced the team acquired lefthanded pitcher Daniel Herrera and righthanded pitcher Adrian Rosario from the Milwaukee Brewers to complete the trade that sent righthanded pitcher Francisco Rodriguez and cash considerations to the Brewers on July 12.

Herrera, 26, appeared in two games with the Brewers this season after he was claimed off waivers from the Cincinnati Reds on May 23, 2011. He was 1-4 with a 2.20 ERA (15 earned runs/61.1 innings) three saves and 54 strikeouts in 46 combined games this season between Louisville (AAA) of the International League and Nashville (AAA) of the Pacific Coast League.



The 5-6, 165-pounder went 1-3 with a 3.91 ERA (10 earned runs/23.0 innings) in 36 games with the Reds in 2010. The Odessa, TX native appeared in 70 games as a rookie with the Reds in 2009, going 4-4 with a 3.06 ERA (21 earned runs/61.2 innings).

Herrera is 5-7 with a 3.94 ERA (41 earned runs/93.2 innings) in 115 major league games with the Reds and Brewers. He has allowed 110 hits, issued 34 walks and notched 66 strikeouts.



Rosario, 21, is 4-6 with a 4.32 ERA (48 earned runs/100.0 innings) with 81 strikeouts in 35 games, 14 starts combined between Brevard Country (A) of the Florida State League and Wisconsin (A) of the Midwest League this season.



The Santiago, Dominican Republic native was claimed by the Baltimore Orioles in the 2010 Rule 5 Draft but was returned to the Brewers on March 24. Rosario began the year with Brevard County, going 4-5 with a 5.83 ERA (43 earned runs/66.1 innings) in 16 games, 14 starts. He moved to the bullpen exclusively with Wisconsin. In 19 games with the Timber Rattlers, Rosario was 0-1 with five saves and 1.34 ERA (five earned runs/33.2 innings) with 42 strikeouts.



The righthander is 16-19 with a 4.64 ERA (146 earned runs/283.0 innings) in 94 minor league games, 29 starts with 122 walks and 236 strikeouts. He was originally signed by Milwaukee as a non-drafted free agent on August 21, 2006.

Sunday Batting Practice

This past Sunday, the Savannah Sand Gnats season ticket holder fans were invited to participate in batting practice before the Gnats game with the Charleston RiverDogs.

After one hour of batting practice, Sand Gnat players, staff, and fans got together at the picnic area of the stadium for hamburgers and hot dogs.

Photo courtesy of Ed DeVita, Editor of The Savannah Sports Monthly.

Cutnpaste: - Allan Dykstra, Mailkas De La Crus, Neil Allen, Ike Davis, Chris Capuano

8-21-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/08/prospect-pulse-left-handed-hitters.html  - Allan Dykstra - This is the player Sandy got from San Diego in exchange for “Fast” Eddie Kunz, before the season began. He came with the label a “poor man’s Lucas Duda.” The 6’5″, former 2008 1st round draft pick of San Diego, did not play much after signing in 2008, but has now logged 3 full minor league seasons, and is presently playing 1B for Bingo, in AA. For his minor league career, Dykstra’s slash line looks like: .242/.387/.424. At the same point in his minor league career, Duda’s stats compared favorably to Dykstra’s except BA, where Duda was around 20 points higher. Dykstra obviously has a lot of power, 17 HR’s and 67 RBI’s in 345 AB’s at Bingo this year attest to that, and his 66 walks show a pretty good eye at the plate. The big problem is holes in his swing, as his 116 strikeouts so far this year clearly indicate. If he can close those holes up a bit, he could become a very interesting prospect one day soon.

8-23-11: - DSL 2011 End of Season Wrap-Up - http://www.nyfuturestars.com/community/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35808&sid=e8719b8eddffd9bc033d0ab708d8aff5  - Maikis De La Cruz, 20, OF - .321/.389/.400 line for Maikis included 33 SB and 40 runs scored while usually leading off for both teams

Another closer the Mets had in a dark period in team history was Neil Allen, who ended up becoming more notable for being traded than he did as a pitcher. Allen was drafted by the Mets in 1976 and made his professional debut as a starting pitcher in 1979. He went 0-5 as a starter, though, and missed a month with a strained rib cage before returning as a reliever. He then won four consecutive decisions out of the bullpen and finished his rookie season with a 6-10 record, a 3.55 ERA and eight saves. - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/822566-new-york-mets-top-10-relievers-of-all-time#/articles/822566-new-york-mets-top-10-relievers-of-all-time/page/4  

8-31-11: - Via Twitter - News AdamRubinESPN profile - AdamRubinESPN "Obviously there are really good signs he's getting better," Terry Collins said about Davis. - AdamRubinESPN profile AdamRubinESPN Ike Davis continues to run without discomfort, so he's due to meet team in Florida to take grounders, try batting practice

So does (Chris) Capuano feel like he has reestablished himself following a second Tommy John surgery and demonstrated enough to secure a multiyear deal as a starting pitcher somewhere in the majors this offseason? “I’m not sure,” said the 33-year-old Capuano, who missed the 2008 and ’09 seasons. “I have five starts left, so my goal is to get out there and throw as many innings up as I can in those five starts and see what happens. If there’s something like that out there, that would be great. If it’s a one-year deal or something, at this point in my career I’m excited to have the opportunity to go out there as a starting pitcher. I’m not as concerned with the contracts and everything else. As long as I have an option next year to start, I’ll be happy.” - http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/33524/big-deal-no-big-deal-for-capuano

Cutnpaste: - Robert Parnell, Fernando Martinez, Turk Wendell, Havens’ Surgery, CNBC Sports Biz

Bobby Parnell, New York Mets – While most Mets pitchers could make this list, Parnell may have an integral role in the Mets success next season. Then again, if his inconsistency remains an issue, he also may not. It’s not that he doesn’t have the “stuff”. Parnell sports a mid-to-high 90′s fastball with some sink, as well as a nasty slider. However, that’s about all that’s nasty about the righty reliever. As the Mets try to figure out who their closer will be next season, they are looking in house at the young, talented and inexpensive Parnell. However, for Parnell to take advantage of this opportunity he will to improve his control, his command and his consistency. He will also have to develop the killer instinct that seems common to successful relievers. Otherwise he’ll just end up as another name on the list of great throwers who never figured out how to pitch - http://www.baseballdigest.com/2011/08/29/nl-east-five-pitchers-with-something-to-prove  

8-21-11: - http://metsmerizedonline.com/2011/08/prospect-pulse-left-handed-hitters.html  - Fernando Martinez - You know this guy. They are going to rename the Disabled List after him. Not only has FMart, been on the DL like forty times for his career, (he’s already been on it three or four times this season alone), but he seems to have reached a plateau, at AAA, at age 22. This is his second injury plagued season at Buffalo, and at the time of his most recent DL stint, he was hitting a mere .260 with 8 HR’s and 30 RBI’s. The guy has chronic bad knees, and he has totally stalled in his development. I think it’s time for Sandy to either trade him, or if that isn’t possible, simply pull the plug on this ill-fated, sci-fi experiment.

While closers may get the most fame among relief pitchers, there is one middle reliever who stood out in the late 1990s and early 2000s. That would be Turk Wendell, who was one of the backbones of the Mets' bullpen during his time and probably the most superstitious player to ever wear a Mets uniform.Wendell was initially drafted by the Braves in 1988 but got traded to the Cubs in 1991. He made his major league debut with the Cubs in 1993. However, he only made 13 combined appearances on the major league club between 1993 and 1994. - http://bleacherreport.com/articles/822566-new-york-mets-top-10-relievers-of-all-time#/articles/822566-new-york-mets-top-10-relievers-of-all-time/page/3  

8-31-11: - http://espn.go.com/blog/new-york/mets/post/_/id/33468/farm-report-havens-delayed-not-deterred  - Havens has had setbacks this year. Irritation from suspected scar tissue forced a late start to the season. And he landed on the DL with back trouble this year, although Havens believes that may be related to the original issue, since his offseason was spent idle and then rehabbing without any baseball activity. Now, though, he has been back with Binghamton for more than a month and issue-free. “Dr. Andrews and Dr. Clancy did the surgery on me. I was real confident in their opinion and what they thought the problem was,” Havens said. “I was also confident that it fixed it because I could tell pretty immediate results once I got all the inflammation out of there and started working out again. Everybody knows that scar tissue is part of surgery. That’s what got me in spring training. I didn’t work out this past (offseason). All I did was rehab to get back to where I didn’t feel the side, and started doing some baseball stuff once I got down to Florida. So I definitely think it’s what it was. But I don’t feel it at all now. It’s gone.”

It has been in the works for months and in my mind for years. Today I can finally proudly announce that my new show "CNBC SportsBiz: Game On" is a reality. The show will air every Friday night at 7pm ET on Versus beginning next week, Sept. 9. Over the last 11 years, the sports business reporting niche has grown, the business has gotten bigger and fans have embraced the behind-the-scenes dollars and cents of this $200 billion industry. http://www.cnbc.com/id/44329179?__source=RSS*blog*&par=RSS  

Stock: Jose De La Torre, Marcos Camarena, Kyle Allen, Gonzalez Germen, Sandy Alderson

8-29-11: - Stock Up – RP Jose de la Torre – Jose returned last night from the DL and pitched another scoreless inning for the Buffalo Bisons. Injuried have held him down to 19 outings this season, but he still produced a 1.14 ERA. The 25-year old definitely deserved his turn in the Queens pen, and it’s good to see him healthy again. Who knows, maybe a September call up.




photo by Allan Greene

 8-29-11: - Stock Up – SP Marcos Camarena – we’re at the point of the season where every great outing gets you closer to a level promotion come next spring. I’m not sure what plans the Mets have for the 6-3 23-yr. old righty, but, hopefully he gets himself a juicy winter assignment and repeats nights like this one for a full season team. Tonight’s line: 5.0-IP, 1-ER, 5-H, 5-K, 0-BB.

8-29-11: - Stock Down – SP Kyle Allen – and then there is the opposite situation. Finish the season with a shit outing after a shitty season and… well, tonight’s stat line for Allen: 5.0-IP, 9-R, 0-K, 2-BB, 1-WP. You just might have read the last paragraph I ever write about this guy.





photo by Allan Greene

 8-29-11: - Stock Down – SP Gonzalez Germen – and you thought the Allen stat line was going to be the stinker of the night? Well, check out GG: 1.1-IP, 10-H, 7-ER… it is only a matter of time before Germen would have been moved to the pen and this outing may just of done it.

8-31-11: - Stock Up – GM Sandy Alderson – Mr. Alderson did something Omar Minaya never did when he was General Manager of the New York Mets. He visited and attended a Savanah Sand Gnats baseball game in Savannah. Last night.

David Einhorn Statement

“I am disappointed to announce that I will not be purchasing an ownership interest in the New York Mets baseball team at this time. It is clear that it will not be possible for me to consummate the transaction on the terms that the Sterling-Mets organization and I originally agreed to several months ago. The extensive nature of changes that were proposed to me at the last minute has made a successful transaction impossible.



“I want to thank the entire Mets organization and Major League Baseball for their efforts. This experience will always be a happy memory for me because of the Mets’ fans. A good number of you have reached out to offer me encouragement. I will always be touched by the warmth that you showed me.”

Guest Rant - Really, Jason? - By Michael Friere

Mack;


First off, I know the Mets won tonight, so maybe this rant is a bit over the top. Secondly, I also know that Jason Bay "broke out" of his slump with three hits, but what I saw him do in the bottom of the eighth inning is really inexcusable and tells me all I need to know about him as a player and perhaps why he is playing the way he is with the Mets.



Jason Bay is charging down the third baseline, the opposing catcher is in between his position and home plate. The Mets are leading by one run, but Bay's potential run is an insurance run that would make a rookie closer's job much easier. Where I come from and the way I was taught to play, nothing gets in the way of a potential run scored.



As Bay reaches home plate, he attempts some weird version of a slide, which looks more like Gerald Ford falling to the ground. This is done well to the side of the catcher and so far so, that Kareem Abdul-Jabbar couldn't have touched home plate. Despite the catcher mishandling the ball, he still has time to recover and tag Bay out as he lunges towards the plate.

Really, Jason? How about knocking the stuffing out of the catcher and emphatically stomping on home plate to score the fourth run of the night? He is in the base path and blocking the plate, bowling him over is EXPECTED!

Bay clearly lacks a "killer instinct" and it is the simple reason his play has been underwhelming since he got his big payday and landed in Flushing. He is just a nice guy, who never complains and tries really hard, I guess.



Do you think anyone from the Phillies gently slides/rolls past the catcher in that scenario? I don't and that is the main difference between that team and our team (plus a few Cy Young candidates, but I am on a roll). This reminds me of the lackluster Mets teams from about the middle of 2007 until this year.

To Terry Collins credit, the team seems to be more passionate and "gritty" now, but there are still a few players from the past (Bay, Pelfrey) who just don't seem to care a whole lot. That simply cannot happen in the future if we expect to compete again.



My wish for 2012 and beyond is to have "nice guys" move on to new places and the rest of the team show some heart, guts and a little bit of a mean streak. Sounds like the 1986 Mets to me.



Thanks and sorry for the rant...........Mike

Building 2012 Rosters Prospects First - Picks 61-65:

One observation at this point. We’re not used to talking about players with this much talent and only being in the lower 60 range of prospects in the system. That is a very good sign.

61 – RP Rhiner Cruz – I go back with Cruz to 2009 when he dominated the Sally League as a closer. He’s been okay since, but simply hasn’t stood out like I thought he would. 2012 will be his secenth year in the organization, and I expect it to be his last unless he turns it on post haste. My guess he starts and end the season in Buffalo. ETA: AAAA

photo by Alan Greene

62 – C Albert Cordero – Cordero’s the kind of player that I call an “almost prospect”. He’s talented enough to stand out with his minor league peers, but you constantly question whether he has what it takes to play every day in Queens. He is leading the team in hitting (.286), but has 17-errors on the season. It really doesn’t matter how well he hits… he’s never getting to Queens unless he learns to catch. ETA: AAAA

63 – SP Armondo Rodriguez – Here’s another of those A/A+ guys that seem to breeze their way through these levels only to be hit in the face with a board called AA. He’s had a good season with St. Lucie (4-4, 3.42, 15-starts) and has struck out 72 batters in 71 innings. There will absolutely no pressure on him next spring with Binghamton, being the SP5 behind Harvey, Wheeler, Familia, and Gorski. It’s what comes next that is puzzling. ETA: Mets bullpen 2014

64 – SS/2B Robbie Shields – Shields would be ranked much higher if he could manage to remain healthy. He was a ig time second round draft pick that has let a lot of kids pass him by. Shortstop is far too crowded and second base pretty much is spoken for also, so there really isn’t anywhere left for Shields to go. He’ll re-start in St. Lucie in the spring and could be bumped to Binghamton if either Rylan Sandoval or Wilfredo Tovar stumble. ETA: sadly, AAAA

65 - RP Nick Carr – So much talent and so little progress. Boy, did I love this guy. I thought he was the Mets closer of the future, but he’s another of the that just can’t stay healthy. He did manage to get in 22-outings this year for Lucy (3-0, 2.40, 34-K, 30.0-IP), but he’ll be 26 next spring and you just seem to wait around waiting for his next DL stint. Healthy, still one of the top 5 ceiling guys in the system. ETA: depends on health; potential Mets closer 2015


Rosters So Far:


Buffalo: (15) –SP Chris Schwinden, Collin McHugh, Brandon Moore, RP Robert Carson, Rhiner Cruz, Eric Beaulac, Jose De La Torre, IF Alan Dykstra, Reese Havens, Jordany Valdespin, Zach Lutz, OF Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Fernando Martinez, Mike Baxter, Juan Lagarus


Binghamton: (13) – SP: Mike Harvey, Zack Wheeler, Jeurys Familia, Darin Gorski, Armondo Rodriguez, RP Jeff Kaplan, Nick Carr, Josh Edgin, Brad Holt, IF Juan Centeno, Jefry Marte, OF Matt den Dekker, Cesar Puello


St. Lucie: (16) – SP Greg Peavey, Taylor Whitenton, Angel Cuan, Tyler Pill, Ryan Fraser, RP Hamilton Bennett, Cory Mazzoni, Jack Leathersich, Chase Huchingson, IF Albert Cordero, Wilmer Flores, Robbie Shields, Aderlin Rodriguez, OF Cory Vaughn, Gilbert Gomez, Darrell Cecilliani


Savannah: (7) – SP Akeel Morris, Alex Panteliodis, Erik Goeddel, Logan Verrett, Marcos Camerena, RP T.J. Chism, IF Cam Maron


Brooklyn: (5) – SP: Michael Fulmer, Juan Urbina, Domingo Tapia, IF Phillip Evans, OF: Brandon Nimmo


Kingsport: (5) – SP Luis Mateo, Christian Montgomery, Steve Matz, OF Vincente Lupo, Eudy Pena


GCL: (0) –


DSL: (1) – IF Elvis Sanchez,